Eradicating the Past
by emjac
Summary: Ava is a college freshman who was rescued from an abusive situation by Horatio and Natalia a couple of years ago, and has since been in their care.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Ava, is a college freshman living between Horatio and Natalia after they rescued her from her abusive family. I only own Ava. Enjoy!**

Ava sensed him behind her and flinched involuntarily, turning to see that he hadn't missed the reaction. "Oh, hey," she said, trying to appear calm.

"Everything alright?" He asked in the even tone that was so much a part of his character.

She had returned to the outline she was working on for her English class in the empty crime lab and answered him as if she thought he was referring to her school work, "Yep. Almost done here."

He nodded slowly and turned his gaze down to the sunglasses in his hands. "Good," he said, "but that's not what I'm talking about."

Still not looking up from her work, she said, "I'm fine. I'm just trying to finish this up before Nat's done for the day."

"My conversation with Natalia earlier would suggest that you are not fine."

She could feel the rage building inside of her and wanted nothing more than to explode, but she focused on the task at hand.

He could tell by the stiffness of her movements that she was angry, and her silence told him that she wanted him to leave, but he stayed. Standing in the doorway, he watched her for ten minutes while she finished her work and methodically returned the lab to its original condition.

Ignoring him had not made him leave. She grabbed her backpack and moved to the door, which he was blocking. Refusing to make eye contact, she attempted to walk around him only to find him sidestep in front of her. "She's probably waiting for me now," she said quietly, still looking anywhere but into his eyes.

"We have to talk," he said. He had noticed a change in her demeanor over the last week but had given her time to either work things out on her own or come to him. She had done neither. He was tired of waiting.

Finally, her eyes met his, "She has no right to talk to you about me."

"She's worried about you. So am I."

"I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself and I know how to find help when I need it."

"She doesn't deserve to be treated the way you've been treating her."

"So you're not here because you're worried about me. You're here to defend her!" She tried to get around him again, but again her attempt was thwarted.

Turning around and crossing the room, she flung her backpack across the table before spinning to face him, her eyes blazing at his. "What do you want from me? Tell me what you'd like me to say and I'll say it."

"What I want, Miss Cooper, is for you to be honest with me when I ask you what's wrong."

She didn't know what to say. If she told him the truth about what was going on, he surely would turn his back on her. She couldn't risk losing him, or Natalia for that matter. They had taken a chance on her two years ago when she had no one and she had blown it. Her only hope now was to keep them from figuring everything out. Her feisty attitude they could handle; they had many times before. But she had to reign it in so they would stop prying. Horatio always found out the truth from her. She couldn't risk that this time. She couldn't risk losing him. Her body was in fight or flight mode. He was preventing her flight, and she was afraid that continuing to fight would antagonize him to the point where he manipulated the truth from her. Freezing was the only option left.

Things had gone too far. He pushed too hard and now she was literally cornered in the room like a caged animal. He had to fix this, back down and give her a way out. The effects of her PTSD appeared less often now, but had not left her for good. Cognitively he knew they may never, but he always hoped. Right now he was angry with himself for triggering them, but sometimes he felt like he needed to jolt her out of whatever funk she had gotten herself into.

He started towards her, but stopped when she pushed herself back as far as the counter would allow. "You know what," he said, all sternness gone from his voice, "why don't you came home with me tonight and we can worry about all this later."

"No," was all she could get out. Her breath was getting out of her control and she was fighting to hide that from him.

"You're starting to panic and you need to breathe," he said, continuing slow steps towards her. They had been through this many times and knew the drill. The problem was that she was angry this time and didn't want his help. He also knew from her therapist, that he was supposed to let her work herself out of this and back off assisting her. He was supposed to be helping her get stronger. But hadn't he caused this reaction by making her feel trapped? Shouldn't he help her out of it now? Torn, Horatio continued to do what came naturally to him. Help people who needed it, even if they didn't want it. He reached out and put his hands on the sides of her face. She pushed back at him in hopes of appearing in control and hiding her fright, but he insisted and held on to her. "Breathe . . . shhhh . . . slowly with me . . . it's ok . . . you got this . . . just in and out."

She gave in and followed his directions, pretending that she was doing it of her own free will when they both knew she wasn't. When everything finally slowed and she started to relax, his hands moved down and pulled her into a hug. She fell into it in spite of herself.

They were silent for a few moments while she fought the urge to apologize to him as she usually did when this happened. She was still angry with him, and Natalia, probably with herself most of all, but she kept that buried for now.

With a kiss at the top of her head, he pulled back and spoke, "Come home with me. You and Natalia need a break. We'll pick up dinner on the way and then you can just relax."

She still wanted to fight him. "I can find somewhere to stay if Natalia needs a break."

"No. You're coming with me. And Natalia never said she needed a break. This is all my idea. Grab your stuff."

Seeing no other option, she obeyed.

MMMMMMMMM

She had slid into the backseat of the Hummer to be as far away from him as she could get. She was angry and scared, and did not want him trying to delve into her psyche and pulling out her secrets. She needed to get herself together so his fears would be alleviated.

As they entered the house she kicked off her shoes and hurried towards the stairs, 'I'm taking a shower," she called behind her. While technically she lived at Natalia's, she spent enough time at Horatio's house to feel at home, with her own space and stuff.

"Come down for dinner when you're done." They had picked up Chinese on the way and he was carrying it into the kitchen when he heard her answer back.

"You can start without me," she said, continuing up the stairs.

He quickly closed the distance to the stairs, "Freeze!" When she stopped and turned, he said, "I'll wait. Take your shower and come back down to eat."

Ava took her time in the shower to clear her head and relax her body. When she returned to the first floor a half hour later, she was dressed simply in yoga pants, her wet hair hanging past her shoulders. Horatio looked over from where he sat at the kitchen counter and smiled. She looked better, clean faced and bright eyed. "Feeling better?" He asked.

"Well, Lieutenant, that would imply that I wasn't feeling well earlier and, as you may recall, I was feeling just fine before."

He chuckled at her returned spunk. "Please remember, Miss Cooper, I am a highly trained investigator and your behavior and attitude never go unnoticed." The shower had tamed her mood, but he hadn't forgotten her response earlier and did not want to say or do anything to bring her back to a dark place. While he wanted to know what was going on with her, he was willing to forgo any further interrogations and let the night be a relaxing one. Noticing her start to tense he said, "Eat, now. We can worry about other things later."

MMMMMMMM

Natalia met up with her boss turned parenting partner the next morning in the hallway of the station with a cup of coffee in hand, "Good morning," she said.

"Good Morning, Ma'am," he said, looking up from the latest report he had been reading.

"How was everything last night?" She asked, too anxious to engage in small talk. Not being able to get through to Ava was always upsetting to her, but she was grateful that Horatio usually could. The fight they had, however, was the worst one yet and it had thrown her for a loop. Most of her previous night has been restless.

"Well, she ran the gamut of emotions going from scared to angry to scared to happy."

"Scared?" She hadn't seen that side of Ava in quite a while and hadn't been expecting it.

He nodded slowly, "She flinched when I walked up behind her. Then I had her backed into a corner at one point and she looked like a wounded animal."

"I thought she was past all that."

"Does anyone get past years of abuse? I don't think it's something that's going to go away for good. Whatever is bothering her has brought everything back up."

"Did you get any clues as to what's bothering her?"

"No. I had to lay off. We went home and had a quiet night."

"I really thought that with the support of the two of us, things would be better. When she exploded on me the other night, I realized I was kidding myself," she was trying to keep her emotions under control but feared she was losing the battle.

He took her by the elbow and led her to a more secluded part of the hallway. Speaking softly he said, "Natalia, we are both doing a great job. She lashes out at you because she feels safe with you. She is secure in your love for her. That's a good thing. But there will always be issues. Don't give up on her."

She looked up into his eyes at his last statement, "I would never. It's just hard sometimes." She took in a deep breathe and let it out slowly. "What do we do now?"

"When does she see Dr. Lewis again?"

"Not until Tuesday. Should I call her?"

"You know what? Not yet. Let's all have dinner at my house tonight and take it from there. OK?"


	2. Chapter 2

Ava made it through her morning classes, but felt agitated the whole time. The report she was working on yesterday at the lab had been haphazardly finished late last night and turned into her teacher. She was sure it would not be receiving a good grade. Great! Another reason for Horatio and Natalia to be disappointed. By lunchtime she was so frustrated that she left the campus, telling her best friend, Emily, that she wasn't feeling well. There was only one more class for her that day but she wouldn't be at it.

Without giving much thought about where she was going or what she was doing, took a bus and got off at a stop outside a row of boutiques. This was definitely a high risk location, but she saw no way out of her situation. She couldn't stop herself. Running had always been an option in the past, but she had no confidence in her ability to out run Horatio and his team. They would chase her until the end of the earth. The anxiety was getting the best of her and, acting almost solely on instinct, she entered the shop.

Her physical manner changed, as her anxiety eased. This was comfortable to her. With her shoulders thrown back, she browsed through the racks with a sense of purpose, feeling fabrics, checking sizes, ignoring prices. She was in her element and anyone watching would witness a teen with money to spend, not exactly a rarity in Miami After half an hour, she had selected a pair of designer jeans and a sheer top. Foregoing the dressing rooms, she stopped at a sunglasses carousel before checking out. Trying on pair after pair, she selected three and moved towards the register. Smiling and chatting up the salesperson, she announced at the last minute, "On second thought, I think I'll skip the sunglasses."

"Ok you can leave them here and I'll put them away for you," the middle aged woman told her, while deftly wrapping her overpriced outfit.

"No, that's ok, I'll do it for you," Ava said. Her back to the cashier, she returned to the display and dropped one pair into her bag while placing the others where they belonged. The adrenaline quickly soared through her body and she felt alive. Every inch of her skin tingled with excitement as the race to get out of the shop was on.

Making her way back to the register where she had left her wallet sitting on the counter, adding to the illusion that she was trusting and, therefore, trustworthy, she said, "You know what, I'm having a bit of buyer's remorse here. How 'bout I just take the shirt?"

A frown appeared on the woman's face, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, my dad'll freak when he gets the bill," she added a sheepish smile to her lie and felt her heart pound.

Moments later, she was speeding down the interstate, finally at peace for the first time in days.

MMMMMMMM

The euphoria had worn off by the time she pulled into Horatio's driveway. It used to last for days, but now she barely got an hour of relief from it. In its place was the anxiety and fear. Seeing Natalia's car in front of the house did nothing to help matters. She worked for a few moments on calming her breathing and schooling her features, then made her way inside.

Voices could be heard from the kitchen so Ava took the opportunity to run up to her room and throw her purchase and the contraband into the back of the closet. They disgusted her now and she wanted them hidden, from her acutely aware guardians as well as herself. She made a mental note to remember to return the top before the bill arrived in the mail. Natalia had a duplicate of one of her cards made for Ava to use in case of emergency. When the bill came, Ava would just explain that she had made an unnecessary purchase on a whim and later returned it.

Entering the kitchen with a smile on her face, she found Horatio sauteeing something on the stove. His jacket had been discarded and his sleeves were rolled up to just below his elbows. Natalia was sitting at the counter with a glass of red wine. The idea flitted across her mind that they really would make a great couple.

"Ava!" Natalia rose and moved to hug her. "We've been waiting. Where have you been?"

Returning the hug, Ava said, "I was studying in the library after my last class and lost track of time." Natalia apparently wanted to forget the argument they had a couple of days ago, and Ava was more than happy to follow suit.

"Hungry?" Horatio asked as he slid chicken and vegetables onto a plate and handed it to her.

"Yeah. Thanks," she said, and they all fell into a quiet dinner at the counter.

Ava concentrated on her food, hoping to finish and make a quick escape. But as she deposited her plate into the sink, Natalia started, "H and I want to talk to you for a minute."

Inhaling deeply, Ava turned and tried to thwart any interrogation by being proactive. "Look, I'm sorry about fighting with you the other day. I didn't mean the things I said, I was just on edge about school and I felt like you were on my case about nothing. I'm sorry."

"Thank you," Natalia said.

"Is everything ok at school?" Horatio asked.

"Yeah. I just had a lot of work to do that night and it was getting to me. That's all."

"Are you sure? Because it seems to me that you've been more anxious than usual lately," he turned his head and looked into her eyes for the first time since she had arrived home. The panic and fear in them was discernible.

He was looking through her and that was always dangerous. Moving her gaze away from him she said, "Really, H, I'm fine."

He stood from the counter and walked closer to her, being sure not to crowd her. "Let's remember that when you're upset about things you tend to pull away from us and act out."

"Please," she said, "I'm fine."

He held his gaze on her for a beat then reached out his hand and softened his voice, "Come here," he said and pulled her into a hug.

She found herself holding her breath, unable to take any comfort from him. He would be so disappointed if he knew the truth. Tears were threatening to spill and she closed her eyes forcing them back. He kissed the top of her head, "I love you," he whispered. When he released her, she couldn't get away fast enough. She hurried up to her room and threw herself across the bed as the tears won over and fell.

MMMMMMMM

She woke with a start. While she couldn't remember the content of her dream, the fear associated with it lingered. There were no sounds coming from down the hall, so she was confident that she hadn't awakened Horatio. After a few minutes of taking slow, calming breaths, a technique she had practiced with her therapist, she crept out of bed and made her way to the first floor. The light from the full moon shone through the oversized windows of the home and cast shadows everywhere. She walked around for a bit before settling into an oversized leather chair in the living room. There was a throw blanket over the back of it and she pulled it down and covered herself, more for comfort than warmth. Her eyes settled on a crystal decanter of whiskey across the room. Horatio rarely drank from it, content with the occasional glass of wine at dinner. He probably wouldn't miss a shot, and it would cause a deep enough sleep where dreams wouldn't invade, but drinking never enticed her. Her alcoholic father had scared her off of that. A sad smile pulled at her mouth as she thought that there was at least something positive her father gave her. Despite her best efforts, she fell asleep moments later with him on her mind.

This time, the dream was vivid. It was her father and he was yelling at her. He was angry that she had been caught stealing. Now he had cops and lawyers to deal with. A fairly successful lawyer himself, a criminal daughter was not good for his image. She knew what was going to happen, but could do nothing to stop his hand from pulling back and slamming hard into the side of her face. She grabbed it reflexively as he screamed that she was such a huge disappointment, and turned back only to watch his body and voice morph into Horatio's.

"Ava!" Horatio yelled with a strong hand on her shoulder, "Ava!"

She tried her best to pull away from him and gasped for air as she finally woke and looked into his concerned eyes with terrified ones of her own. Still confused and unsettled, she tried to scramble away but he kept his hands steady and forced her to stay.

"Ava! Sweetheart, it's ok. It's just me. You're safe."

She stopped struggling and tried to slow her breathing. Her face was wet from tears shed in her sleep and she kept her head down, embarrassed. He tried to draw her towards him, but she resisted and he didn't insist. "It's alright, sweetheart," he said in a soft tone that he usually saved for victims, "it was just a dream." The platitudes continued as she wiped at her face and leaned back into the chair. Sitting on the ottoman in front of her, he waited.

"I'm sorry," it always came.

"There's nothing to be sorry for," after another couple of moments he continued, "do you want to talk about it?"

She shook her head as he knew she would. Never a man to waste words, he rose, confident that she was settled now.

MMMMMMMM

Ava entered the kitchen a mere two hours later dressed and ready for the day. She accepted the cup of coffee that Horatio gave her with a thank you and settled at the counter.

"What do you have planned for today?" He asked while taking sideways glances to determine her state of mind.

"After school? Emily and I will probably hit the library again," she focused her attention on her beverage fully aware that he was assessing her.

"You know what? Why don't you come by the lab after school and work there instead." He knew she was trying to make a good show of it, but appeared drained.

"No, I'll be fine at the library. Besides, Emily can't be at the lab."

He shifted his gaze down and then back up to her, "I think I'm going to have to insist."

Ava stood from the counter and moved to gather her things, abandoning her coffee in the process, "H, don't pull the reins in on me. I'm going to the library."

"Sit back down, please." She stopped what she was doing long enough to look up at him to see if he was serious. There was no room for argument in those eyes. Horatio rarely said things he didn't mean. She decided to not pick this battle and returned to the stool, shaking her head and removing her gaze.

"Let's go over what we know. You have been extremely agitated lately, you've been lashing out at Natalia, you had a horrible dream last night, and you've been lying to me about what's going on."

She looked up at this last comment, knowing how Horatio felt about lying. Was he really going to consider that a lie? Was it a lie? Well, yes. But he couldn't know that for sure.

Horatio continued, "Now past experience has told us that you are going to continue in this manner until you crash. So I'd like to keep you close to help you with that."

She rose from her seat again and continued gathering her things, knowing full well that this was not what he wanted, but being unable to sit under his scrutiny any longer. "Well, I thought I was supposed to be working on being more independent and figuring things out for myself, but if it will make you happy, I will make plans with Emily for another time and be at the lab at two." Everything collected, she looked up at him, "Happy?"

He couldn't help but give her a crooked smile, "Very," he said taking a step to kiss the top of her head. "I'll see you at two." She left the house before he could change his mind.


	3. Chapter 3

Horatio stood with his back to the body as he frequently did when it was too disturbing to look at any longer. HIs team was working around him, processing the latest murder victim in Miami when his phone rang.

"Lieutenant Caine," he answered.

"Lieutenant, this is Captain Milner at the Northwest Division. I have a young lady just brought in named Ava Cooper. Do you know her?"

He walked away from the scene as he responded, "Yes, Captain, I do. I am her legal guardian. What was she brought in for?"

"Shoplifting. She was picked up at a shop on Miracle Mile. It appears that yesterday she stole a pair of $200 sunglasses. According to the store owner, she went back today to return something that was purchased as part of a rouse of some sort, and the clerk recognized her and called it in.

"A rouse? I see. Has she been processed yet?"

"No, we called you first."

"Thank you, Captain. I will be down there shortly. Could I please have the name of the shop?"

The captain gave Horatio the information he was looking for, then asked what he would like done with his daughter while she waited. Horatio replied, "While she's waiting? Put her in a holding cell, please."

MMMMMMMM

Horatio had gone to the shop and convinced the owner not to press charges, promising that Ava would never enter her store again. Now standing outside the cell, he saw her before she saw him and took that opportunity to stand and observe before making his presence known. Usually, her mood could be determined by her demeanor, of course, he had never witnessed her sitting in a holding cell before, so he wasn't quite sure what he should be looking for. Sitting on a bench she wasn't agitated. None of her typical nervous ticks were present. If anything she seemed resigned.

The guard opened the door at his request and he walked over to sit beside her on the bench. She didn't look up from the spot on the floor that had her attention. Leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees, he tilted his head to look up into her eyes.

"What," he said, "is going on?" When she didn't respond he continued, "Ava? Ava you need to talk to me."

The corner of her lip twitched and when she spoke her voice was quiet, "It doesn't matter."

"It most certainly does matter. And you know that."

"It's not going to work anymore."

"What's that?"

"This . . . whatever . . ."

When she offered nothing else, Horatio spoke, "Ok. Well, here's what we're going to do. _You_ are going to stay here and think about things and _I_ am going to leave. When I return, we _will_ be talking." With that he left. Had he turned back to her, he would have seen the tears.

MMMMMMMM

Horatio didn't get too far down the hallway of the crime lab before Natalia ran up to him "Horatio? What's going on? Ryan said Ava was brought in?"

"Natalia, yes. She was picked up for shoplifting."

"Shoplifting? There must be a mistake. Ava would never do that."

"She did, Natalia. I went down to the store and looked into it and she did do it. But I was able to convince them not to press charges."

"Oh my God! H! Why would she do that?"

"I don't know but it doesn't sound like it's the first time that she's done this. She knew what she was doing."

"How did we miss this?"

"We missed this because she hid it from us. But don't worry, we will get to the bottom of it and it will not happen again."

"Ok," his confidence helped to calm her. "Where is she now?"

"She is in a holding cell. Northwest District."

"Well, I'm going to get her," she turned to walk away from him, but he called her name and she waited.

"I don't want you to do that. I saw her and she's fine. But she's not talking and she needs to understand how serious this is. OK?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"We'll both go get her when the shift is over. Now let's get back to work. It will distract us."

MMMMMMMM

Natalia entered the cell first, hours after Horatio's first visit, to find Ava on her feet and pacing. When the guard opened the door, Ava turned and her eyes widened.

"Nat, what are you doing here?" She asked as the older woman crossed the expanse and pulled her into an embrace.

"What do you mean?" Natalia asked, smoothing Ava's hair, "Horatio and I came to take you home."

"He came back?"

"I said I would," she heard his voice and looked around Natalia to find him standing tall in the doorway. She hadn't expected this. Why were they here? They knew now what she had done. What she was. It was time for all of them to go their separate ways. But they were here. This was too much for Ava to bear. She had been spending her time in this cell working out a plan for what was to come next, how she would survive completely on her own. And then they were standing in front of her ready to take her home again. Her face crumpled and she could not carry her weight. She started to fall down, sobbing, only to be caught by Horatio and led to a bench. She cried into his jacket as he held her.

She didn't know how much time had passed with them sitting like that, but the tears stopped and she was being pulled to her feet.

"Let's go home," was all he said and they exited the cell.

MMMMMMMM

Once home, Ava went straight into the shower where she spent a good deal of time scrubbing herself. She felt repulsive both physically and morally. The stank from the cell washed down the drain, but she could not cleanse herself of the corruptness she felt inside.

Assured that she had done all that she could, she stepped out and pulled on some yoga pants and a t-shirt in an unhurried manner as she was, quite frankly, scared to death to descend the stairs where her fate awaited. The dream from the previous night now weighed heavily on her. She used to tell herself that she could never imagine Horatio hurting her like her father had. But now she could. Now she had seen it and felt it and, even though it was only a dream, the emotions involved were real.

She stood in front of the full length mirror attached to the back of the door and considered herself. What did she want? She got caught almost on purpose. The high risk location and returning the purchase the very next day practically ensured it. But why? Did she want to push Horatio and see just how far he would go? How much like her father he was? Prove that men really are all the same? That she deserves to be hit? Or did she want to see how far their love would go? Whether or not there was any way to save her, if only from herself? Could she trust their word? She got caught, and maybe even stole, for all of these reasons, she decided as she turned away from her reflection and descended the stairs..

"What? No wine?" The sarcasm was unplanned. It escaped her lips.

"I don't think that's your best option here," Horatio said from where he was standing at the back picture window overlooking the ocean. He turned from the view and held a steady gaze on her.

Natalia slipped comfortably into the good cop role and said, "Come sit down on the couch."

She did, hesitantly, but only perched on the edge of it, too nervous for comfort. Looking at her hands she felt their eyes burning through her and repeated her statement from a couple of days earlier, "I don't know what you want me to say."

"Let's start with you are not going to lie to us anymore," his voice was stern, all the warmth from earlier gone, as he took his bad cop role seriously.

"Ok," she said.

"I mean it, Ava. That ends now."

She nodded her head, still looking only at her hands.

Natalia said, "How long have you been stealing for?"

She raised one shoulder and said, "I don't know."

"That, is a lie," Horatio said, taking a quick step towards her, hands on his hips.

She jerked herself back and looked up at him as if expecting him to grab her. Natalia reached for her arm and said, "Easy, Ava, he's not going to hurt you."

She sharply took in air and said, "I know," fully aware that she wasn't fooling anyone.

Horatio relaxed his stance and pulled back the coffee table so he could sit on it in front of her. He said, "Ava, sweetheart, look at me." When she did he saw that her eyes were filled with tears. "I would never hurt you." She wanted to respond to him but found that she couldn't. The images from her dream wafted through her mind. He tilted his head slightly and continued, "Do you understand that? No matter what you do, I will never raise a hand to you. Ok?"

She nodded and wiped at a tear that threatened to escape. "It's just hard sometimes," she said.

"I know. I know it is. But it will get easier. I promise." It did help her, knowing that he had a traumatic past as well. He did know how this felt.

"OK"

Sensing that this topic was settled, at least for the moment, he stood and returned to his stance in the middle of the room. Bad cop role resumed.

After giving her a few moments to pull herself together, Horatio began again, "How long have you been stealing?"

She looked up at him, curious as to how they knew this wasn't the first time. The look in his eyes forced her to tell the truth, "Just a little bit. I used to do it before I met you. I started up again a few weeks ago."

"Why did you start up again?" Natalia asked, "If you wanted something, we could have helped you get it."

"It's not like that, " she said. "It just makes me feel better."

"Stealing makes you feel better?" Horatio asked, "Explain that, please."

She was taken aback by the fact that they seemed to legitimately want to know what she thought and how she felt. This was such a foreign idea to her. She decided to run with it. "It's like, I get all of this tension building up inside of me and the only way I can release it is to steal. I get a rush. I know, it sounds crazy."

"Where is all of the tension coming from?" Natalia asked.

"Stress. School. Arguing with you," she quickly added, "not like it's your fault, Nat."

"No," said Horatio, "it is definitely not Natalia's fault."

"I'm sorry," Ava said. "I know I'm a huge disappointment to you."

"I am very disappointed that you have been doing this. You are fortunate that the store owner decided not to press charges."

Her eyes shot up at this statement. She hadn't been made aware fo the fact that she was off the hook legally.

"But this absolutely cannot happen again. Do you understand me?"

"Yes."

"No, Ava. I don't think you do. You are getting a second chance that you do not deserve. That will not happen again. Next time you will be processed, charged as an adult, and likely convicted."

"Ok, I get it," she tried to keep the annoyance out of her voice but she didn't think he needed to drive the point home as hard as he was.

Natalia said, "So how are you going to stop? If stealing is such a stress relief for you, what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know."

Horatio, of course, had some ideas. "First, you are not to enter that store again or they will have charges brought against you."

"Seriously?"

"Oh, I am quite serious, Miss Cooper. As a matter of fact, you are not to go shopping at all without one of us with you."

Ava thought that was extreme but decided it best not to argue at this point. She could try to change their minds about that later.

"I want a copy of your schedule, and, when your last class of the day is over, I expect you to show up at the crime lab."

"Every day?"

"Unless one of us has the day off, every day."

"That seems a bit much, doesn't it? I mean, I'm not a child."

"No, you are not a child, but you have proven that you don't always make good decisions. Until you've earned our trust back, this is how it will be."

"I'll earn it back," she said.

"I know you will. I have all the confidence in the world in you."

"We both do," said Natalia, "but it may not be easy."

"Does everyone on your team know? Did I embarrass you?" Ava knew they didn't deserve what she had put them through. She did feel terrible about that. They were good people and didn't deserve any of the grief she gave them.

"You don't need to ever worry about that," Horatio said. "You are not an embarrassment to either of us and your struggles are no one else's business." He continued standing a bit away from where she was sitting on the couch. His gaze on her was an inquisitive one; there was still something amiss. "You're still keeping something from us," he said.

Ava sat back on the couch and pulled her legs up under her. "I think that's enough."

"If there's something else to say, now is the time," Horatio said.

Natalia said, "It's ok, Ava. We don't scare easily."

 **AN: Thanks for reading. Please review.**


	4. Chapter 4

She looked up and between her two guardians. She trusted them with her life and, while she sometimes physically responded to Horatio in a conditioned way, she knew they always had her best interests in mind. Dropping her head back to look up at the ceiling, she carried on a war within herself. Once she told them, she couldn't take it back. They would surely have their opinions. But she could carry this burden no longer. Even from behind bars, her father was wreaking havoc on her life. Her original plan was to wait and tell them once she had made a decision, but days went by and she couldn't make one. She stood, "Ok," she said, "I'll be right back." She ran up the stairs to her bedroom and slipped her hand under her pillow. Horatio and Natalia only had time to share inquisitive looks before she returned. Envelope in hand, she remained standing before them.

Natalia rose and said, "What have you got there?"

Ava took a deep breath and handed it over to her. Horatio cleared the distance in one long stride and glanced over Natalia's shoulder. When he saw what it was he said, "Let me see that please."

"Ava," Natalia said, "from your father? When did you get that?"

Unable to look at them, Ava said, "I don't know. A few days ago."

"Ava?" Horatio said, "Ava, look at me please." When she did, he continued, "This is important, Ava, think. When did this arrive?"

"Umm . . . a week ago from this past Tuesday. I think. Something like that. Why does it matter?"

Natalia answered as Horatio examined the unopened envelope, "Because there is a no contact order against your father. This never should have been allowed to leave in the prison mail."

"Oh," Ava said quietly and sat on the edge of the couch again.

"Excuse me, ladies," Horatio said as he reached for his phone and left the room, envelope still in hand.

"What's happening?" Ava asked, "He's not going to open it, is he?"

Natalia move closer to her one the couch and put her arm around her, "No, honey, he's just going to call and see if there is some sort of security breach."

"My father's not getting out, is he?" Her father was in prison for killing her mother, and attempting to kill her, in a cocaine fueled rage. There were few details from that night which she actually remembered, but Horatio by her side stands out the most. He had been first on the scene and stayed with her while she was transported to the hospital. When she woke, a couple of days later, he was sitting next to her bed. Upon her release, he got her set up of Natalia's place and began work to award them custody of her. Her father had been a prominent member of society, so his downfall was played out in the local media. She didn't know many details of the legalities of this time, only Horatio telling her not to worry, everything would work out. And it did. Her father was put away, she split her time between Natalia's and Horatio's homes, and enrolled in a new high school with a fresh start. Sure, the nightmares reared their ugly head from time to time, and she still had intense anxiety which she was working on with her therapist, but, for the most part, things were good until this mail from her father arrived and threw her into a tailspin. Her greatest fear was that he would get out and come back looking for her.

"No! He's two years into a life sentence. There's no way he's getting out," she waited a moment for Ava to relax a bit. "Hey, you know, you must be exhausted. I know it's still early, but maybe you should head on up to bed."

"No," Ava said, "I'm not going anywhere until I know what's going on."

Horatio's deep tone could be heard throughout the house so Natalia said, "Well, then why don't we go out on the deck and wait for him. It may take a little while."

Agreeing. Ava rose from the couch and followed Natalia outside onto the deck. She spread herself out on a lounge chair and willed her eyes to stay open. Mere minutes later, she was asleep.

Horatio pulled the slider aside as he stepped on to the deck. He offered Natalia a glass of red wine and pulled his hand down the back of her head as he took as seat next to her and sipped from his own glass.

"Thank you," Natalia said, and took a sip. "Did you straighten everything out?"

"They said it was an oversight," he said, removing the letter from where he had placed it in the pocket of his shirt and dropping it on the table.

"You sound like you don't believe them."

He shook his head, "Just being cautious." He turned his gaze to the girl he thought of as a daughter for the past couple of years. "What did Ava have to say about all this?"

"Really nothing. She was worried you might open the letter, then insisted on staying awake until you finished on the phone. You can see how well that worked."

A rare smile pulled at the corners of his mouth, "Yes, I can."

"Seriously, though, do you think she'll be ok?"

He held his gaze at his daughter for another moment, then tilted his head to look into Natalia's eyes. "I do. She always is, and we'll help her."

She tried to breathe as he looked at her, but found it difficult. His eyes seemed to pierce through to her soul and she felt bare and vulnerable. Taking all the strength she had, she pulled herself out of her trance and placed her glass, still half full, on the table. "I should probably be going," she said. "It's getting late."

Natalia rose from her seat and he reached out for her hand. "You know what?" he said, looking up at her, "Why don't you stay?"

"H," she said, more breathlessly than she had intended, "I don't know if that's such a good idea."

He was about to try convincing her otherwise, when Ava stirred in her chair. They ignored her for a moment, but she began thrashing in the throes of a dream. Their parenting roles restored, they approached her and Natalia called out to her.

Ava woke with a start and took a moment to orient herself. It didn't take long for the memories of the day to return to her. A nod of the head was the only answer she could provide to Natalia's question about her well- being. She straightened in the lounge chair and turned slightly to face Horatio. "Where's my letter?" she asked.

"I have it right here," he said. "Apparently it got through the mail accidently. I was assured it wouldn't happen again."

"I didn't know you had banned it."

"I did. At the time, it seemed like what you wanted. I can lift it if you'd like." He wanted her to have nothing to do with her father ever again, but understood that it was her decision to make.

"No. It's ok," she said, then reconsidered, "I don't know. Maybe you should," she looked between the two of them seeking some sort of guidance.

"I think," Horatio said, "that this is a decision we shouldn't make tonight. Why don't you go up to bed. You've had quite a day."

It had been a terrible day for her, and she felt the tiredness deep inside her. She rose from the chair and reached for the letter. Horatio's hand was quicker. "Let me hang on to this for the time being."

Ava felt her anxiety rising. "No," She looked directly at him, displaying the defiance he had once again become used to seeing. "It's mine."

He rose and said, "We'll keep it somewhere safe until we decide what to do with it."

"No! I'm keeping it. And I'll decide what to do with it. Give it to me." She lunged for it but he successfully pulled the hand holding it back while placing his other hand on her arm.

"Ava, take it easy," he said.

Natalia, also now on her feet, said, "Ava, honey, calm down. Let's talk about this."

Turning on her, Ava said, "That is my letter from my father and I want it now!" The words coming out of her mouth were completely at odds with how she was feeling. She hated her father and never wanted anything to do with him. She hated that letter and wished she had never seen it. But the craziness of the day had gotten the best of her. Her brain told her to fight, and fight is what she was going to do. She rushed at Horatio again.

He knew if he put his hands on her, even if only for the purpose of restraining her, the situation would escalate. So he kept a defensive hand in front of him and left the heavy work to Natalia.

"That's enough," Natalia said. "That's enough!" She managed to gather Ava's arms behind her and pull her backwards, adding a little shake for emphasis.

"Let go of me," Ava said through gritted teeth.

"Take a breath and calm down, and I will."

Ava took an exaggerated breath and blew it out. She then turned her glare from the envelope in Horatio's hand to Nat.

"I'm fine now. Let me go. Please."

Horatio made a show of placing the letter on the table under his ignored glass of wine, and held both hands up in front of him as he approached Ava who had been released from Natalia's hold. All the fight not quite gone, she held his eyes with her own.

"I'm sorry I jumped at you. But that is mine."

"It is," he said, "and I'm not trying to keep it from you." When she cocked her head skeptically, he hurried to continue. "But it is my understanding that you haven't decided to open it and, until you do, we should keep it in a safe place."

"Where?" she asked.

"You know what, you tell me. Where would you like us to keep it?" This settled Ava even more, as he hoped it would.

"How about the drawer in the coffee table?" she asked, her tone now quiet.

"Ok," he said and he picked up the letter again. "We will keep it there. We will all promise not to touch it without the others knowledge. Agreed?"

"Yes," she said, and turned to go to her bedroom without further comment to anyone.

 **AN: Thanks for reading! Please review. I only own Ava.**


	5. Chapter 5

Horatio walked down the dank corridors of the correctional facility behind the guard. They matched cadences, in spite of themselves and their footsteps echoed. Visiting the institution was an unpleasant, but necessary part of his profession. He never looked forward to it, but his drive to serve and protect the city's citizens, particularly the citizen currently living in his house, far outweighed the discomfort of the humid, mildewy structure and the deplorable people within its wall.

A door clanged shut from somewhere deep in the cavernous building. The involuntary flinch would not have been visible to anyone looking at Horatio at that moment. He almost chided himself for it, but then remembered that he was human, and that was a good thing. The ugliness he endured daily had not yet seeped too far into his being.

The guard stopped at the end of th hallway and fumbled with his keys. Horatio took the moment to peer through the small window of the door and view its occupant. The guard found what he was looking for and Horatio stepped back, out of the way, as the door opened.

"You know the drill, Lieutenant," the guard said. "I'll be right out here. Knock on the window when you're done."

Horatio nodded his understanding and entered the small room. The prisoner, sitting at the table in front of him, lifted his head and sprang to his feet when he saw who was visiting him. "Caine," he said. "Where is my daughter?"

Horatio felt no need to rush his reply. He didn't know Bill Cooper's plan, and he didn't want Bill to know his. This visit was about figuring out what the letter to Ava entailed and warning Bill away from her. Again.

"Sit down," Horatio said. Bill, being a criminal and a low-life, would not be permitted to stand on equal ground with him.

Bill sat. His time in the system, coupled with his lawyering years on the other side of the table, taught him that this conversation continued only if he sat. He repeated his question.

Refusing to answer him, Horatio said, "What makes you think I'd bring her here?"

"She's my daughter, Caine. And she's a legal adult now. We don't need to go through you to have a relationship."

"The no communication order against you suggests otherwise."

"You did that! You've been brainwashing her against me for years."

"Perhaps, " Horatio said, turning to move back to the door. "But I didn't abuse her. I didn't hit her. I didn't try to kill her. And I didn't kill her mother. So," he paused and knocked on the window. When the door opened, he looked back at the evil man and continued, "I win."

Horatio led the guard this time and ignored Bill's screams of, "This isn't over, Caine! She's my daughter. This isn't over!"

MMMMMMMMMM

Ava walked to her car after the last class of the day, fumbling in her bag for her keys. She didn't see that a man had stopped his car in front of hers in the parking lot until she almost bumped into it. Had she been paying any attention, she would have noticed him earlier and not gotten so close. His baseball hat sat low on his head, but no other attempt at disguising his appearance existed.

He startled her into silence as they locked eyes. "I have a message from your father. He wants to see you. Don't send Caine again." He revved his engine twice and sped away, leaving Ava shaken.

MMMMMMMMMM

Eric heard the elevated voice coming from the front desk as he entered the crime lab and turned in its direction. He saw who was causing the scene and rushed over to intercede.

"Ava," he called. "Ava!" He touched her shoulder to garner her attention, and perhaps calm her, but she pulled away from him. "Ava calm down! What's wrong?"

"She won't tell me where Horatio is," Ava said, pointing a finger at the receptionist, Connie.

"Lt. Caine is out on a call," Connie directed her comment to Delko.

Eric gave Connie a slight nod of his head, indicating that he would take care of things, and tried again to reach for Ava's arm in hopes of leading her away from the desk. She saw the gesture coming this time and jerked away from him. "Do not touch me!" she said, drawing the rapt attention of several officers nearby.

He matched her volume, "Calm down and walk with me."

Ava's eyes blazed and her breath was short. She had wrangled with her makeshift uncle a couple of times over the years. She could go a few round with him but knew that, in the end, he would win. She inhaled deeply and looked around, finally aware of the crowd she had drawn.

Eric watched the fight in her relax and took a couple of steps to the far side of the foyer. Thankfully, she followed. When they arrived at a semi-secluded bench he said, "Sit." She glared at him and then obeyed. He matched her glower then joined her.

"Have you tried texting him?" Eric asked.

"Yes," she said, "he said to wait for him here."

"Then we wait."

"I don't want to wait. I need to talk to him now."

"Is there something I can help you with?"

"No."

"Then we wait."

The rage burned inside of Ava for what seemed like hours, but a mere twenty minutes later they watched Horatio enter the building and find them. Ava jumped out of her seat and he rushed to her side. He carried an expression that had made grown men crumble and his stride was quick. "I hear you've been harrassing my staff," he said.

"I hear you've been harrassing my father!"

His stature remained steady, but his pupils dilated and he looked away for a moment to process what she had said. When he had some facsimile of his bearings, he said, "What are you talking about?"

Eric looked between the two of them and said, "I'm going to leave now."

"No, Eric," Horatio said, "please stay."

"Don't lie to me, H. I know you saw him," Ava said.

Horatio raised an eyebrow at her. "I would never lie to you, but how do you know I saw him?"

"That doesn't matter."

Eric said, "Ava, this isn't a game. There's a no contact order against him. If he's contacted you, we need to know how and we need to know right now."

"You think I don't know all that? He's my father." She turned to Horatio. "He's still my father!"

Horatio appreciated Eric jumping in to help. It gave him a moment to temper his anger, both at Ava and Cooper. "Yes, Ava, he is. The same father that you said you wanted a no contact order against. The same father that you had a nightmare about two nights ago."

Ava reached into her purse and yanked out an envelope. Horatio recognized it and struggled to maintain control. "He's different now, Horatio," Ava said, holding up the letter. "He's different, and he's sorry, and he wants to see me. And you can't stop me."

"Ava. Ava, we agreed that we would open that letter together."

"Yeah, we did. But then you went behind my back to visit him and harass him. So all bets were off. I'm an adult and I can do what I want, and what I want is to see my father." She walked out of the building leaving the man who stepped in, and stood up, and never let her down, stunned.


	6. Chapter 6

The picnic table at the back end of the beach, adjacent to the playground, was Ava's favorite spot for watching the sunset. Many passed since the last time she found herself here. Sitting on the table now, with the squeal of children playing nearby, she allowed her mind to wander back to better times. Times when the whole day revolved around playing on the beach with her mom and their only problem was whether to get an ice cream sandwich or a Spongebob popsicle when the truck pulled up with its ringing bell. They would stay until the sun set and escape all their problems at home. As soon as they started packing up to head home, her mother's tension would be obvious to Ava, and she knew it was just a matter of time before her father would be home and the reality of their lives would smack them in the face.

She heard someone approaching her table and waited until they sat to figure out who drew the short straw. Natalia.

"Did Horatio tell you what a jerk I was to him?" Ava asked.

"No" Natalia sat on the table next to Ava, following her gaze to the typically impressive sunset. "He said you were upset and he's worried about you. Eric, though, he told me what a jerk you were."

"Good ole Eric," she said. "My mom used to take me here all the time when I was a kid. It was her favorite beach. We'd spend the whole day."

"That sounds nice."

"It was. But I usually try not to think about it."

"Why's that?"

"Because whenever I think about her, I eventually start thinking about him. It's easier if I keep all the memories buried. Pretty pathetic, huh?"

"No, it's not. Your father put you and your mom through hell. I don't think you've really dealt with all of that. I think maybe you've just pushed it aside while you've figured out how to get your life together. That's not a bad thing. It was survival. But maybe now's the time to deal with all of it.""

"My loyalty is to Horatio - I mean, to you, too. But I don't feel like I'm betraying you if I see my father. I would be betraying Horatio. And I can't do that."

"Oh, honey, no matter what you decide to do, Horatio will never turn his back on you. He understands that you need to come to terms with this."

"I was pretty obnoxious back there."

"He's pretty tough." She hopped off the table as the sun disappeared. "Come on. Let's go find him."

"Natalia?" Ava asked as she joined her and they began to walk towards their cars. "Do you ever think that Horatio is too good for us?

Natalia put an arm around Ava's shoulders and smiled. "All the time, Ava. All the time."

MMMMMMMMMM

Natalia dropped Ava off at Horatio's darkened house and waited for her to safely enter it. She had been called back to the crime lab after their conversation on the beach to work a new lead on their current case.

Ava expected Horatio to arrive home late and took it upon herself to find something for dinner. She understood their jobs well enough not to be fazed by the sometimes unexpected and long hours. Afterall, they worked overtime for her when she needed them to, even to the extent that Horatio stayed with her in the hospital most of the time she spent recovering. She would never begrudge a victim that same attention.

She sat on the couch doing school work when Horatio came home a little after ten. He saw her there and turned towards the kitchn without a word to her. She followed.

"Hi," she said as she watched him pull food out of the refrigerator.

"Hello," he said. It was enough for her to hear in his tone that he was unhappy with her.

"Do you want me to go upstairs?" she asked.

Having gathered everything he needed, he began to make a sandwich. "That won't be necessary."

Ava took that as an invitation and settled herself on a stool at the counter in front of him. She watched him work and waited for him to talk, but when it became evident that he wouldn't, she tried to engage him, "Rough day?"

"It was fine," he said.

"I can tell by looking at you that it was not fine. You don't have to pretend for me, H. I know you can't go into details about cases, but you can be honest with me when you have a bad day. I'm not a kid anymore." She didn't plan to be confrontational.

Horatio took a bite of his sandwich then looked up at her. "I guess I did have a bad day," he said. "There's this girl I've become quite attached to and she seems determined to walk head first into the mouth of a dragon. She won't listen to anything I say and I don't know how I am going to help her when she gets her head bitten off." It sounded harsh when he said it, but it matched his mood and his feelings..

The tears stung in her eyes, but Ava ignored them. "He's my father," she said.

He thought about telling her that he was a monster nonetheless, but it seemed a moot point. He took another bite of his sandwich and waited for her to continue.

"I get that you want to protect me, but I need to see him. I need to know what he has to say."

"Why?"

"I don't know why. What if it's important? What if it's something that will make everything better?"

"It's not," he said.

"What if it was your father? Wouldn't you want one more conversation with him?" She regretted saying it the minute it left her mouth. They never discussed his father. He filled her in on the bare minimum details soon after they met, and didn't speak of it again. He swallowed his food and moved to the sink for water. She spoke before he had a chance to. "I'm sorry. Horatio, I shouldn't have said that. Please. I'm so sorry." The tears left her eyes.

He finished his water and took a couple of breaths before turning back to her. "It's ok, sweetheart. You did nothing wrong. It's a fair question. I just wasn't expecting it." He reached across the counter and placed his palm on her cheek, wiping away some tears in the process. "Alright? Don't be upset. It's ok." When she calmed a bit he continued. "I don't know the answer though. I guess I can imagine that I'd like to talk to him. I'll give you my blessing to see your father."

"Thank you!" Ava said.

"But on my terms. I don't want you going in on his."

"What terms are those?" she asked. She sat and watched him clean up the mess he made, putting his dishes in the dishwasher and returning all the food to the refrigerator. When he finished, he walked towards her.

"It's late now. We'll figure those out in the morning. Let's sleep on it."

 **AN: I'm still working at this story. Let me know what you think.**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I've put off writing this chapter long enough. It wasn't easy. Hope you enjoy. I only own Ava and Bill.**

The silence in the car began after the first hello and continued as they drove down the interstate under the midmorning Miami sun. Eric looked straight ahead at the road in front of him and Ava's gaze focused out the passenger window.

"So why me?" he asked, eyes on the road.

Ava let her eyes fall into a slow blink before responding. "What are you talking about?"

He gave her a quick glance. "You know what I'm talking about. Why am I driving you to see your father?"

"I'd rather just go by myself, but Horatio won't hear of it. I don't know what he thinks is going to happen. Honestly, I'm not that stupid little kid I used to be. I can handle myself. Anyway, since someone had to come, I figured - you. You won't be as on-edge as Horatio and Natalia would be." She turned her head to him. "I mean, right? I'm counting on you to be a bit detached, if you know what I mean."

Eric smiled, "Yeah, kid, I know what you mean. Relax. Horatio and Nat are just worried about you. They can't figure out what Cooper wants."

"Maybe he just wants to see his daughter." Ava had turned back to staring out the window.

"Maybe," Eric said, but they both knew he didn't believe that. "Do you understand how everything is going to proceed once we get to the facility."

"H drilled everything into my head. I got it." She reached over and turned up the volume on the radio. The music filled the suv for the remainder of the ride.

Ava found her father waiting for her in the common room which looked like every prison movie's visiting scene. She spotted him on the far end of the room in the standard orange attire looking older and trimmer than the last time she laid eyes on him. That had been the night he killed her mother. Horatio had done a lot of maneuvering and managed to keep her away from testifying at his trial. It was hard to keep the vision of him stabbing her mother out of her head, but she put one foot in front of the other and traversed the distance to the table where he stood.

"Hi," she said.

"Ava," his voice cracked and his eyes teared. "You're so beautiful. You look just like your mother."

He reached out to place a hand on her cheek but before he made contact a guard shouted, "No touching," in a comical voice that caused Ava to jump and look in his direction. He sounded like he was overacting a role in a TV drama. He looked the part, too, complete with scowl and crease running down the middle of his forehead. Ava was sure she was having an out of body experience. Her father gestured for her to sit, so she sat.

"How have you been? It's been so long," he said.

"Fine," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear and trying not to look at him.

He sensed her nervousness so decided to lead the conversation. "I've missed you. I think about you all the time. And your mom." He noticed her flinch. "I'm so sorry, Ava. For everything. I love you and I loved her. I'm so very sorry. I've had so much time to think about what I did and how awful it was. I will never forgive myself."

Ava started to say, "That's ok," but stopped herself. How could she even think of saying that killing her mother was ok? She cleared her throat and opted to say a simple, "ok." It seemed better to her.

Bill stopped talking for a few moments and studied his daughter who would not look at him. He decided to redirect the conversation. "So tell me about you. You're eighteen now. You graduated high school, right? Are you working?"

"I'm in school. A freshman at Keiser University."

"That's great, honey. What are you studying?"

"I haven't decided yet. Just getting my general eds out of the way." This was not true. She was majoring in criminal justice and minoring in psychology, but she didn't know what her father would say about that, so she kept it to herself. He didn't need to know everything.

"Are you living in the dorms or do you have an apartment?"

She looked up at him, surprised by the question. "I live with Horatio. You know that."

"Still? I thought you would have moved on from him and that girl -"

"Natalia," she said.

"Right. Natalia. I thought you would have moved on from them. Ava, they were a huge help to you when you needed them, but you shouldn't be mooching off of them any more. You're an adult."

She studied her father. This was a strange turn in the conversation and she could not figure out why. "They're helping me. So I can afford college."

"You have money from in your college fund. And I know you got scholarships. You should be able to work and afford a place of your own."

"I'm trying to focus on my studies."

Bill held his hands up in front of her in mock defeat. "Whatever you think is best, Ava. I'm sure you're not taking advantage of them."

The rest of the visit was uneventful with her father telling her how he filled his days and how much he thought about her and wanted a renewed relationship with her. When time ended, he asked her to come again the next week and she said she would consider it. She left and met Eric in the parking lot.

"How'd it go?" Eric asked as they both got into the Hummer.

"Fine," she said.

He shook his head. He should have seen that answer coming. "Alright," he said pulling the car out of its spot. "I'll take you back to the lab."

"What?" She turned to face him. "No. Take me to Horatio's. I'll get my car and go to school. I have a class in an hour."

"Horatio gave me very specific orders that you were to meet him at the lab when you finished here. He wants to see that you're ok."

"Well, you can tell him that I'm ok. He knows I have class. I'm pretty sure he's committed my schedule to memory by now."

"And what do you suggest I tell him when he demands to know why I haven't followed his order?"

"Tell him I overpowered you."

Eric laughed. "He sure won't buy that."

Ava enjoyed bantering with Eric. It took her mind off of her visit. She suspected that he knew that. "Tell him I outsmarted you."

"Hey now! That would never happen."

"Ok, tell him you took pity on me and decided to be kind and accommodating."

"That, Cooper, just might work." He sped along the highway to Horatio's house.

 **Thanks for reading. Please let me know what you think.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm feeling my writing bug come back and thought posting this short chapter would help move it along. A recent review didn't hurt either! Hope you like this. I only own Ava and Bill Cooper.**

"Ava?" Natalia said, watching the girl move towards the sink with a handful of dishes. The makeshift family of three enjoyed a late dinner on the patio and were now cleaning up and winding down. "Did you get new jeans?"

"Yeah," Ava said, "Like them?"

"I do. Did Horatio buy those for you?" At the mention of his name, Horatio looked up and focused on the conversation.

"No," Ava said with a bit of a giggle in her voice. "I bought them myself."

"With my credit card?" Natalia asked.

'No." There was no more amusement in her tone. "And I thought that was my credit card."

"So how did you pay for them?"

"I just paid for them." Ava knew where this conversation was headed and her brain raced to find answers that would knock her keen guardians off track.

"Are you trying to tell me you paid cash for them? Because those are $300 jeans and you don't have $300 at your disposal." Her voice raised even while she tried to control it.

"Wow, you know everything, don't you?"

Horatio had remained quiet until the condescension entered Ava's tone, then he let a stern, "Ava," rumble out of his mouth.

Ava turned on Horatio in her continued efforts to redirect the conversation, "You're going to get on me? What about her? She gets to talk to me like that?"

" _She._ Does. Now where did you get the jeans from, Ava?"

"I bought them. With my money. Why are neither of you believing me?"

"Let's see," Natalie said, "maybe because you have a history a stealing and you _don't_ have $300 lying around."

Ava took a step towards Natalia. "You don't know what I have."

Horatio positioned himself between the two of them. "Alright. This is getting us nowhere. Ava, go sit down at the table." When she obeyed he reached out and squeezed Natalia's hand. His message clear to her, he would take over the lead.

He sat across from Ava while Natalia leaned against the counter behind them. Ava didn't want to sit at the table at all. She had plans with her friends and wanted to get ready to go out. She didn't want to have this conversation where she would be made to feel like a child. Again. And she did not want Horatio to switch places with Natalia into the bad cop role. Bad cop Natalia she could spar with all day long, until one of them left the room. Horatio would sink his paw into her mind and pull out every last secret she had.

"Let's just keep this real simple, Ava," Horatio said. "Did you steal those jeans?"

"No," she said. An interrogation was not what she wanted, but she refused to provide more information than necessary. He shouldn't be treating her like a criminal. He could work for his answers.

"How did you pay for them?"

"Cash."

"Where did you get the cash from?"

"It was just mine."

Horatio pinched the bridge of his nose and continued. "Did you take it from your account?"

Ava paused while she considered saying, "yes." But two clicks on his cell phone would grant him access to her account where he would see her lie. She made a mental note to take their information off her banking, and answered, "No."

"Ava," Horatio tried to keep his temper in check. "Why do you have large amounts of cash lying around?"

"I don't really call $300 'large amounts of cash.'"

Natalie said, "So if I go upstairs right now and toss your room, I won't find any more?"

The heat rose through Ava's body. "Why would you do that?" She stood. "I don't deserve any of this. I've done nothing wrong and my money is my business."

Horatio remained seated in an attempt to appear less threatening. He was always cautious in his approach towards her. "I don't know what you've been doing. You haven't come by the lab after classes as we agreed you would. And I'm certain you've been visiting your father quite a bit over the past couple of weeks."

"Is that a problem?"

He looked up at her. "I don't know. Is it?"

"No."

He took in the toughness she tried to portray and saw the vulnerability lurking below the surface. "Then I guess this conversation is over."

Ava wasted no time in exiting the kitchen and rushing to her bedroom. She had no doubt that they were going to talk about her and make a plan for how to deal with her. It was all so insulting. She opened the second drawer and removed the wad of cash that had accumulated.

 **Thanks for reading. Please review!**


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